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Going into 2012, is the Harper majority on the right track? - Macleans.ca

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Going into 2012, is the Harper majority on the right track?

Most people that voted no here probably didn’t vote in the federal election…. Alot of people as well mix provincial and federal jurisdictions up too, blaming provincial Liberal stumbles on the Progressive Conservative federal government…

Sorry, I voted no, work full time, vote in every federal, provincial and municipal election and volunteer in the community. The problem is that it is not a Progressive Conservative government; it is a Reform Conservative government.

As you know the Progressive Conservative Party (Federally) is gone. Conservatives and Reformers evolved into the existing Conservative Party. So in fact the Reform Party is also gone.
So you voted no because??

Whatever name you call them, they are vindictive, petty, stupid, arrogant fools who refuse to do their actual jobs of writing decent legislation that works. They write garbage legislation, refuse to listen to wiser people who could improve it immensely, and bully their bad legislation through. They are scoff-laws, liars and fraudsters. They should be called the Destructives.

Wrong again. I voted, I am successfully self employed, and I know that it is Harper whom is ruining this country, by forcing us into debt, when the Libs left a surplus, and he is intent on pushing forward with Mandatory Minimums that will cost us Billions, giving criminal records to our children, with no decrease in already dropping crime rates.

The Libs left at surplus by cutting transfer payments to the provinces. As a result health care took a big hit. The Libs both federally and provincially have a history of lying to get elected then doing the exact opposite. I will never vote Liberal.

Neither will I, was just pointing out that Harper is digging us a really big hole, that is unjustified, that could sink us all. Was actually trying to say that even the Libs were better than Harper. The previous real conservatives were also better. Harper is not a true conservative and is running our country into the ground financially and not by spending more on healthcare like he should, but by spending billions on more massive, unnecessary, unwarranted incarceration when crime rates are actually down. Put the pedophiles away and throw away the key, or castrate them, that would be fine with me.

Mr Harper and his government are showing solid leadership and good direction in many facets of running Canada during these tough and very challenging national and international times.
His demeanour, cool headness and direction is exactly what this country needs right now.
His potential as a great leader is in tact. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff and always looks and reacts to the bigger and longer picture. I couldn’t be more pleased.
Kev…Ottawa

you are joking. you must work for him. We have no democracy under him. He muzzles scientists and watchdogs. He wasted millions shutting down parliament to keep power the first time and to avoid proof of torture the second time. He is guilty of war crimes by the treaty we signed and if you don’t think so, he is welcome to sue me for defamation of character because I am certain he would lose. He cancelled the census and his mp’s don’t attend public debate or debate in parliament. they are passing a crime bill that even Texas has said is stupid. He doesn’t understand the danger and opportunity climate change presents. he was found in contempt of parliament…he wants to cancel the long-gun registry despite the police wanting to keep it because it saves lives. he does not realize that protecting medicare helps us compete economically and improves the lives of all canadians. Pharmacare program could save billions. he is selling out to corporations through tHE CETa trade deal and by taking away the power of the Canadian wheat board. He’ll cause a national revolt and a general strike if he is not careful. When you arrogantly refuse to abide by the laws and see your self as above the law, then you hopefully get what you deserve which is to be forced to resign for being a dictator and destroying the country. He is a one trick pony and the longer he is in office the further we go back to the dark ages. He needs to take a science course but he probably could not get a passing grade. Too bad his environment minister didn’t know what ozone was before he cut the monitoring stations. Thank God he didn’t get the chance to take us into Iraq or deregulate our banks like he wanted to.

No I’m not joking and I don’t work for any political party Jhanks.
And we do have a Canadian democracy under him as the last election results show.
We have solid leadership and as strong an economy as any in the western world. These are the big picture issues that Canadians want and vote for.

Allowing (mandating?) Health Canada to kiss Corporate Ass until their lips bleed, and to ride roughshod over our health in the process:
– rubberstamping totally untested (unless you want to believe Monsanto’s “tests”) GMOs one after the other and then NOT mandating the labelling of GM product even though 90% of Canadians want it labelled.
– totally ignoring independent testing that finds virus infection in wild BC salmon, almost certainly coming from farmed salmon.
– rubberstamping BC Hydro’s “smart” meter system which has absolutely no legitimate claim to safety. In fact with much proven safety issues.
– conducting guns drawn raids and literally criminalizing people in the health food and supplement industry, with absolutely no proof of safety issues. Their only offence is they help people get healthier and so decrease Big Pharma’s profits.

Allowing (mandating?) our police forces to act like thugs and criminals in their totally non-democratic suppression of the people’s right to protest:
– literally placing provocateurs within these protests to incite violence; proven and admitted.
– illegally detaining, arresting and assaulting protesters that have done nothing illegal; proven and admitted.

I agree Jhanks…it looks like the Dark Ages are making a comeback unless Canadians in big numbers wake up and smell the …. in a big hurry.

Harper is the best person to lead this country in many years, Mulroney was the last one. All you libs, it is really time you crawled back in your holes including most of the writers of this crummy mag.

I agree with you ABC. Mulroney and his PC party paid the price (into oblivion) as the Liberals did with the Shawinagate payouts etc.
I would only hope that Dalton McGuinty and his $$billion boondoggles were exposed by the media in more descript terms like the Ontario Auditor General did this past week.

You don’t have to be anti-American to be a proud Canadian!
To be in sync with our largest trading partner and closest ally are good attributes. If only many of the counties of this world could get along as we do would make life better for millions if not billions of people.
As truly proud Canadians the least thing we have to worry about is becoming the 51st state.

Liberal Canadians are proud of their anti-Americanism and incorporate it into many of their comments as you can see in non sequiturs all over this thread. They wouldn’t be caught dead making global anti-French comments or anti-Chinese or anti any Muslim country but they break all their own rules about “respecting differences” and froth at the mouth about the one country that has done more good for more people around the world than any of the sacrosanct ones they never criticize. Muslim militias at the behest of a Muslim government slaughtered 500,000 black Africans in Darfur, Sudan including women and children and displaced millions more by burning out their homes. Canadian Libs had nothing to say while saving their chronic venom for a largely exemplary neighbor and major trading partner other countries in the world would welcome. Libs define their Canadianism by their anti-Americanism and also by slavish devotion to a failing public health care system that can only make ends meet by rationing and delisting services so that 30% of total health care is delivered privately (more in Europe). Libs prefer to follow North Korea and Cuba in restricting access to private care. Don’t know a single principled lib who waits in line in Canada if he can afford to get immediate care in the USA though.

America is a great ally and has done many amazing things but a few bad apples have also caused mass destruction looking for weopons of mass destruction. the CIA has probably assassinated hundreds of world leaders because they were going to give their citizens democracy and money from social programs that a few greedy people thought would be better to have american control over. As far as healthcare goes the new england journal of medicine, the Canadian medical journal, american journal of medicine and harvard public policy journal state that public heatlh care has less death, is less costly , has better outcomes and greater patient satisfaction than private. the fastest rising costs are the private sector costs like pharmaceuticals. http://www.canadians.org/healthcare/documents/Chernomas-health-report-1110.pdf Too bad the rich control the media and wish to brainwash Canadians into thinking healthcare is not sustainable when leading economists have evidence to the contrary. http://medicare.ca/medicare-sustainability-facts-myths

Well said Laine.
I believe that a major percentage of Anti-Americanism in Canada is due to some degree of having an inferiority complex (I don’t know why) and use this popular argument to justify their points of view and are supported by so many liberal/NDP politicians and their supporters.
A Canadian patriot which I believe an overwhelming amount of Canadians are should look beyond this nonsense and be proud of what Canada is and not have to pull any other country down in their justification.

I could not agree more. I’ve long thought that the only thing worse than American ignorance of Canada is Canadians who think they know all about America when thedepth of their knowledge seems to be gleaned from watching some TV newscasts now and then.

Daryl 052 on December 11, 2011 at 7:39 am

Yes, his perimiter deal is so very wrong. I would absolutely prefer the thickened border to having even closer ties to the USA. When they talk of harmonizing regulations and standards between us and the USA, it will mean giving up our standards to adopt US regulations and standards. It’s naive to think otherwise. The USA is a bully, and will ensure that they get their way. And what if I fly to England, say, never passing through any American airspace or territory. Why should our government report to the USA where I am traveling? It should be none of their business whatsover. We collectively must wake up to the fact that our sovereignty is gradually but surely being surrendered to the USA, all in the name of getting a few shiny new trinkets in return.

Only a lib could think Maclean’s readers are a representative cross section of Canada and use this poll to reach a statistically illiterate conclusion about the last election. Recall also that liberals didn’t think Chretien’s majority with less than 40% of the vote was illegitimate – oh no, that was an overwhelming victory giving him a mandate to push through liberal policies. It’s always a double standard with libs favoring themselves.

If by lib you mean someone that believes that society, the economomy and the government were created to serve people and not the other way around, then you may call me a lib (small L, becuase how I vote is none of your business (except to say that the last time I supported the conservatives Deifenbaker was Prime Minister and I was 7 years old ( I’ve matured a lot since then))). The need for electoral reform couldn’t be more obvious to discerning minds unfortunately, the politcos are not interested since it will change thier game.

The difference between liberals who call the Harper regime illegitimate today and the conservatives who called Chretien’s illegitimate, is that these liberals may be able to say they have learned from the past while the conservatives can only say that they change thier view when it benefits them.

I’m concerned with the branding, talking points and sloganism of this NeoCon gov’t. I’m offended by the “ethical oil” sales pitch of the “Harper government” because my country’s past human rights record is being used to pitch oil sales while the gov’t is pulling out of Kyoto, refusing to play nice, and being a very bad world citizen. Also, when any minister or rep responds to questions there is almost always minimalizing and even belittling the questionner. I grew up to respect the parliamentary system, and while I see the conservatives are doing their best, I feel they are trampling our heritage by closing debates and the house itself and hiding big changes in omnibus bills. Not ethical. I like the Arctic policies but do believe that the conservatives to a large extent inherited the good economy, and I really wish they’d clean up their racism act, it’s counter productive.

Like in US politics, we in Canada are becoming rather divided in thoughts and direction. Harper only follows a pro business direction and pays very little attention to what Canadian citizens say. A more positive result in his favour would include some consideration to listen to constituents of Canada.

I think that it’s a damned shame that only AFTER the damage is done, do Canadians FINALLY start to see that their not bothering to vote MAY have had a hand in allowing Emperor Harperius Mandatorius Minimus to import even more pre-failed US Government policies to help accelerate the destruction of Canada.

If only about 40% of Canadians voted, and Harperius got his “majority” with only about 17% of the population’s votes, then it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that this insane idiot is going to remake Canada in his own psychotic image…JUST AS HE PROMISED HE WOULD BEFORE THE ELECTION!

Remember, folks? He said “You won’t recognize Canada when I’m through with it….” AND HE MEANT IT…and now we ALL get to find out exactly what he meant!

Putting “plant growers” in prison for longer (and new) MANDATORY MINIMUM terms than convicted serial pedophiles? Does this not tell you that this man’s priorities are “somewhat askew” from any form of intelligent human thought?

I don’t know anyone who’d care about the guy next door growing a few plants during the summertime…but I also don’t know a single person who wants their next door neighbour looking through a crack in his second story blinds, watching THEIR children…but then, I’m also neither
religious, or a politician…so I guess I’ll never quite be able to understand how these psychotic politiverts always seem to destroy everything they touch, while convincing the millibrained hordes that they’re getting what they deserve…and should pay even more for it!

Want a solution to “the drug war?” REPEAL PROHIBITION! We all know that is the true cause of the majority of the problems… We can stop wasting 2 billion ANNUALLY fighting a known losing battle, and we can spend less than 10% of that on the few people who actually need
help…after all, government was created to SERVE THE PEOPLE, not to destroy our lives! It’s about goddamned time that they started to SERVE us instead of ATTACKING us at every turn.

The amendment to clause 41 (the last of the Part 2 amendments) of Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, would ensure that the mandatory minimum penalty would only apply to instances where more than 5 plants but fewer than 201 plants are produced for the purpose of trafficking and where any of the specified aggravating factors would apply. Nevertheless, these are being touted as “serious drug offenses.” It is particularly disturbing because it redefines cannabis offences in such a way that it will invariably hamstring jurisprudence while forcing a great expense upon the provinces and, inevitably, the taxpayer.

Bill C-10 will do what it claims insofar as incarcerating people is concerned, but the police won’t be targeting serious drug offences. Nor will the courts be incarcerating serious drug offenders. Young adults, small-time recreational growers and traffickers, sick and dying medicinal cannabis users who refuse to relinquish their MMAR Personal Production Licenses (PPL’s) and those Designated Growers who grow cannabis for MMAR patients who, for various reasons, cannot grow for themselves, will be targeted. The latter categories will be would be triggered by the enactment of the proposed changes to the medical marihuana progam. These, however, are the bulk of those who
will be facing mandatory minimum sentencing and incarceration for what this Bill classifies as “most serious drug offences”.

What kind of message is being extolled here when young adults, small-time recreational growers and traffickers, medicinal cannabis users who grow their own, and designated medicinal growers, who, when recontextualized as perpetrators of the “most serious drug
offences,” could effectively receive harsher sentences than child molesters, and rapists! That’s what mandatory minimum penalties effectively does and, frankly, that’s both shameful and appalling!

I voted “Yes-for the most part”, despite the fact that I voted for the NDP in the last election. My appraisal of the Harper government stems from a personal view of my economic status in these difficult times. I think Harper did quite well to keep our economy in a better shape than almost every other OECD nation. Also I don’t see the NDP doing a better job on the economy. Consequently Harper’s government deserves our support at least for now.

What exactly do you expect the NDP to ‘do’ when they are not in power. All they can do is what they are doing now. Screeching and screaming at all the WRONG Harper is doing by pushing through this massive Omnibus bill that gives harsher penalties to someone growing 6 plants than a disgusting pedophile that should be hung rather than pay for their incarceration!

harper and his party cheated in the 2006 election to attain power and only paid a 52,000 dollar fine. They are in court trying to get us to pay for the fraudulent receipts. If you cheat in an election you aren’t fit to govern. He should be forced to step down.

All I will say is that I am 16 years old, but I voted “Absolutely not” because of how much our international reputation as a country has disintegrated since Harper has been in power. Yes, I am not eligible to vote, but I am responsible for cleaning up the mess that you, the older generation, has helped create by either not bothering to vote, or voting for Harper.

For the most part he is doing a pretty good job. My only critscisms are that we seem to be going way overboard on Law & Order and how Mr Jim Flaherty takes all the credit for Paul Martins good financial management. In his first two years as finance minister he took the country from an annual 30 Billion Dollar debt paydown to a $50 billion dollar defecit?

57% said no. The political system has been rigged so those with the money are the only ones that can run for PM in an election. Anyone can run, but the chances of them getting a platform to present their goals is hard to come by since those “platforms” are bought and paid for by Corporations. We no longer live in a Democracy; it is bought and paid for by lobbyists who keep the country in debt.

Nicely summarized. And, I might add, Harper and his cohorts whom he tightly controls, think they are above the law. Example, pushing through with “marketing freedom” legislation by dismantling the Canadian Wheat Board without a legally required vote of farmers. They are defying a court judgment of all things. Marketing freedom means bye, bye small and medium-sized farmers and hello international corporate takeover of one of our most important resources, grain. Hello industrial grain production and corporate takeover of farmland.

We have had it so (relatively) good in Canada for so long
most of us have let our guard down.

It does look like a real possibility most Canadian citizens
could soon learn the hard way why a stubborn ignorance and apathy about their
nation and its federal Harper Reform Government could come back to haunt them,
and their children.

Now our democratic practices are being deliberately
corrupted and the once healthy well being of our civil society is being
deliberately poisoned.

I disagree with much of what Mr. Harper has done. However, anyone who issues a blanket condemnation is blind to some of the good things he has done. A few examples.

I like his strong stance on immigration, kicking out the fraudulent citizens. I like that he took action to kick out the criminal immigrants (his top 30). I like that he has cut spending to some of the groups who have been feeding at the trough for years. I like that there have been no major scandals like there were under Mr. Chretien.

I do not like his iron fisted control over the government. I do not like his abandoning the peace keeping stance of the military, and getting us involved in conflicts that we have no business in.

Overall, I don’t like the man personally; however, he has not done a bad job as the Prime Minister.

The only reason there’ve been no major scandals is that, unlike Mr. Martin before him, he refuses to allow anybody to look into the shady things that have been done under the CPC.

And even so, we still have him admitting knowledge, on tape, of his party’s attempt to bribe a sitting MP, we have Mr. Clement pilfering from the border security fund for gazebos in his riding. We have an approval process for money spent from the EA! plan that the auditor general has suggested was improper at best, and possibly illegal.

Funny how while Harper has “cut spending to some of the groups who have been feeding at the trough for years,” he has money for the Chrysotile Insitute — a lobby group for the asbestos industry to a tune of $250,000 per year. Yet, he has cut funding to organizations like the Canadian Environmental Network who function to get qualified people to participate in consultations on developers that can hurt the environment. Lots of money for tar sands development. Lots of money for business. The public trough needs to be cleaned out but not the way Harper is doing it.

LMAO…seems so many people rely on the latest headlines to know how well our economy is doing…all you have to do is look outside your front door to realise it’s not as good as you think. GDP? Please…that’s not a true measure of our economy, it’s a mathematical equation that equates to nothing but numbers. If we all have a job then the country is doing superbly, even if by the day the amount of people who are considered working poor continues to grow. more than 30 billion dollars in ‘economic stimulus’ (yes some of that is bailouts, no matter what Harper says) and it’s getting returns of about $8 billion in capital and from very little job creation to job loss. Everyone wants to fix their economies, then stop this global economy nonsense and fix it internally. With the state of consumerism the way it is, our personal debts and the growing disparity gap….it’s only a matter of time before our economy flounders, and the current delusional idea of throwing more money at it will be proven a failure.

Instead of expanding trade with the world, and effectively shipping jobs out of the country to be replaced with low paying service industry jobs, and pushing more and more people into poverty, then providing them low interest loans that they couldn’t pay off no matter how low the interest, creating more public debt and straining the social safety nets further…you get the idea…lets return to local manufacturing…better paying jobs, more money in the consumers pockets to pump into the economy.

I won’t even mention Harper’s crime bills, the border deal, Harper’s drooling envy of the U.S. miltary power that he wants Canada to be, his lies and dictator style parliamentary tricks, or his love of Israeli terrorists and hate for the oppressed people who are sick of being treated like dirt (MSM Terrorists)

P.S. I voted…and I can tell you that the MAJORITY of the people in my area that voted Conservative…only voted to have the long gun registry scrapped….many are happy about it, but more and more they are realising the mistake they made concerning EVERYTHING else Harper is doing.

P.S.S…Can’t wait for Target to set up shop in Canada and see the feds praising the (part-time, minimum wage) job creation numbers

The omnibus Crime Bill has to go. It is time we realized collectively as a country that Cannabis is an extremely useful medication. This bill threatens Canadian’s rights like no other. Whether you choose to use it or not has no bearing on the fact that our government is trying to take this option completely away from us with this bill. Many scientific studies have confirmed that it is a useful medication for many diseases. There are no excuses for fabricated ignorance to these facts, Mr Harper. If some Canadians think it is as easy as getting a medical marijuana card, you should try to get one…nearly impossible these days because the doctors are afraid of the consequences if they do prescribe it.

I see by the comments all the public sector employees and the NDPQ socialists and the Lieberal socialists have been busy. With 7.3 % unemployment, it is to laugh at the comments. That means that almost 93% of Canadians are working!!! You know, the 93% that pay taxes.

Stephen Harper and his Conservative party are fascists. I do not use this term lightly – they have consolidated power, given more power to corporations, consistently shown disdain for the law and evidence that their legislation is bad, and voted to make us all out to be criminals. If this is not taking a page from Mussolini, then I’m the Polkaroo.

We need a new party to run and call themselves the 99%. A party that would work to maintain our Country’s individuality, who would work to protect our Natives, our Veterans, our seniors. A party who will see the needs as they are rather than seeing them as profitable ventures in an effort to crawl further up the U.S.’s ass.

The Harper government reigns as a fascist dictatorship. They break the laws of the land and the constitution and feel as if they have every right to break pariamentary procedures and to go against the will of the people. They need to be removed from power immediately, and Mr. Harper needs to be charged in the crimial system and spend time in one of the new jails that he is building.

Harper is sure he is untouchable until the end of his term & we’ll be left with the results of his ultra conservative actions .This was to be a Progressive Conservative Gvnt..We’ll be left to pick up the pieces and pick up the Huge debt.

Thank you Conservative government for following through on abolishing the gun registry as well as the CWB monopoly. I’ll finally be able to market my wheat where I want to, just like the rest of my crops.

Are you guys serious? Harper is the best we had in a long time and he is moving in the right direction. All those who say NO are probably thinking that Obama is doing great, the best ever in the world, right?

It is clear that Canada has become a nation of pushover conformists. Canadians believe they will be protected, they believe their safe. Who will protect our skies in 20 years if not for the CPC’s F35’s? America??? I think not…….We must defend ourselves from potential threat. The world is falling apart around us, and yet Canada stands tall. We have the CPC to thank for this! The CPC is the first government to make changes to our arcane self defense laws in over 100 years. By scrapping the LGR they have shown that we as Canadians believe that not only should the law abiding be free to possess arms, but that they should be free of being immediately considered a criminal for doing so. Under the current system, firearms owners ARE criminals, and they are treated as such even before purchasing firearms, the CPC is changing that.

The CPC is rebuilding our Military, and making Canadians proud again.

The NDP and the Liberal government have publicly stated that they want to ban firearms. T
his reminds me of a quote: “The most foolish
mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to
possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their
subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so
doing.” –Adolf Hitler, dinner talk on April 11, 1942, quoted in Hitler’s Table Talk 1941-44

It is time to wake up Canada. We as a nation have been sheep to long. It is time to realize we have all been misled. It’s not to late to preserve the future for your loved ones.

I voted in the last election as well as every municipal, provincial and federal election that I was able to. But I voted for the best candidate in the riding – not the leader. What is the party leader going to do for me? Nothing. Our governments are there for themselves, not the public, not the electorite. If you people are so concerned about the country, about who the leader is and what they have done why were you not at the polls to vote. Every election less and less people are voting. Shame Shame on us!!
Some of you desire to lame bast religiuos studies in schools. Do you real;ize that the crime rate has steadily rose since the prayed and religious studies were emoved from the schools. Do you not see the connection here folks? Apparrently not because you can’t see the forest for the trees. When was the last time you read a Bible. e4specially Revelations, folks? “This world and everything it craves will pass away, but if you live for God you will live for ever.” Like it or not the time is coming when you will be wishing for the governments that we have because the government that is coming is going to more sinister than you can imagine. I pray for you all. Open your eyes and unplug your ears before it is too late.

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